L&S Bad Connection
by YinYangWriter
Summary: This is a rewrite of Bad Connection with Eva and Kayla. This is the eighth installment of the Light and Shadow series.
1. Why?

**I do not own **_**Code: LYOKO. **_**This is a rewrite of **_**Bad Connection**_** that has Eva and Kayla in it and is the eighth installment of my **_**Light and Shadow**_** series. I hope you like it. It's taken a lot of work for me to get this just right. I had to watch the episode several times, take the time to write down the dialogue, and memorize what movement went on in a scene. I hope that it's all worth it in the end. As a recap of what happened in the last story, **_**Illuminating the Shadows**_**, Eva fell into the digital sea and was saved by Franz Hopper. Her parents were arrested for abuse and the untimely death of Eva's sister, Mackenzie. Jim has adopted Eva.**

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><p>It was the middle of the night and most children in their early teens should have been asleep. Most were, but two in particular were still awake. At the factory, Jeremy sat at the controls and was running every test and scan he could think of on Eva. Eva was just standing in the scanner as Jeremy ran his tests.<p>

"Okay, Eva," said Jeremy. "I'm going to send you to LYOKO."

He virtualized her on LYOKO to see if she could fight and use her abilities.

"Everything is working properly," said Eva after trying her invisibility and firing a few power pulses. She would try a possession, but there were no monsters around for her to try it on.

Jeremy studied the monitor for a long moment, tapping several keys to change windows. "I don't get it," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I should have found something by now."

Eva looked up at the LYOKO sky of the forest sector. "Perhaps there is nothing to find, Jeremy."

Jeremy breathed a heavy sigh. "Eva, you fell into the digital sea," Jeremy said. "And then you reappeared in the scanner after Franz Hopper saved Aelita and the tower was deactivated. Even if those things didn't happen, you shouldn't be here right now. Speaking from a scientific standpoint, you should be lost in the network."

"Can you not just accept that Franz Hopper saved me?" asked Eva.

"But why?" blurted Jeremy in exasperation. "Why save you? I can understand him saving Aelita, but why you? You don't mean anything to him." Jeremy gasped. "Eva, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it to come out that way."

"It's okay, Jeremy," said Eva.

But Jeremy wasn't sure if it was okay. It was hard to tell what Eva was thinking, even when he could directly look in her eyes. She hid things so well.

"No, it's not," Jeremy said.

"Jeremy, it's okay," said Eva. "Really, it is. Franz Hopper never met me, has no connection with me and the only connection I have to him is his daughter, whom I promised I would protect and serve to the best of my ability, and I made that promise out of my own freewill. For reasons that you and I do not know, he chose to save me. He may have done that out of love for Aelita, out of the goodness of his heart, or he felt like he owed me for attempting to save his daughter. Whatever the reason may be, there is a chance that he saved me and nothing more. There may not be anything to find."

Jeremy knew that Eva may be right. Franz Hopper may have saved her and that was the end of it. What bugged Jeremy was what Eva said after she got out of the scanner and was explaining what happened.

"You hold all the answers now."

What did that mean? Did it mean that they had the means to defeat XANA once and for all and rescue Franz Hopper from the network? Or was it something else? Something that could help Aelita in the future when she was an adult? Something about her past that she didn't know about?

"Jeremy?"

Jeremy pulled himself back to the present. Eva was still on LYOKO.

"Can you call me in or is there another test that you need to preform?"

"Uh, no," said Jeremy, tapping quickly on his keyboard. "Materialization Eva."

Eva stepped out of the scanner and got into the elevator. The doors opened to the computer lab. Jeremy was just finishing turning off the computer for the night. He got on and Eva hit the up button to take them ground level.

The walk back through the sewer was a quiet walk until Eva broke the silence.

"Do you feel threatened by me, Jeremy?" she asked.

Jeremy turned to her, his eyes wide and his glasses sliding down his nose. "Threatened?" he asked, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "N-no. Why would you think that?"

Eva didn't look at him. Her eyes were fixed on the tunnel ahead. Jeremy was glad she wasn't looking at him. Those dark brown eyes of hers could see the truth just as well as they hid her lies. The way her hair fell over her shoulders also obstructed her view of Jeremy if she decided to look at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I came here and wormed my way into your circle of friends, discovered your secrets, became close to Aelita, outshone you in academics, and now this," Eva said. "Do you feel threatened by me?"

Jeremy sighed and lowered his head. "I won't say threatened," he said. "You didn't come here with the intention of becoming friends with us or learning about LYOKO. At first I was a little scared of you. I think we all were. After Kayla told us what happened to you, we felt sorry for you."

"And now?" asked Eva.

"And now," Jeremy repeated. "And now I'm jealous of you."

For the first time on their walk back to school Eva looked at him. "Jealous?" she asked with a frown. "How so?"

"Well, for one, you're intelligent. Like you said, you did outshine me in academics," said Jeremy. "I'm still getting over that. And you connected with Aelita in a way I never could. You've saved her life a couple times in the past. That's something I could never do."

"Sheep dip!" exclaimed Eva. "You've done that for all of us one time or another. Remember when XANA caused the dorm building to collapse with me and Nicolas in it? If it wasn't for you, I don't think that I would be the only one dead. And what about all those times before Kayla and I came around? You're a hero, Jeremy."

Jeremy shrugged. "Then there's your dancing, your capoeira, and your parkour. You're very athletic and I think that you can even give Ulrich a run for his money on the soccer field. I'm just a skinny toothpick."

Eva stepped in front of Jeremy's path and stared him down. Jeremy forced a lump out of his throat.

"Jeremy Belpois," she started in her raspy low voice, "I don't want to hear it. If you want to know, I'm a bit jealous of you."

"Huh?"

"I can't program a computer and I can't create vehicles and virus programs to aid us on our missions. You can. Jeremy, don't go selling yourself short because someone else can do something you can't. You're just as important if not more."

Eva stepped out of his path and the two of them continued back to the school.

"I do have one more question for you," said Jeremy.

Eva glanced at him. "And that would be?"

"Is it true that you and Nicolas Poliakoff are dating?"

Eva whipped her head around and glared at him. "Who told you that?"

"Theo Gauthier," replied Jeremy.

Eva said nothing more and kept walking. Jeremy got the idea. It wasn't any of his business if Eva was dating or not or who she was dating. He did know that he just sold out Theo and there was going to be some painful payment coming his way from Eva tomorrow.


	2. Odd's Parents

**This is where the episode Bad Connection begins. Please review**.

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><p>Ulrich pounded on the door of the room he shared with Odd. He was standing in the hall, his hair still wet and messy from the shower, wrapped in a towel. "Come on, Odd! Knock it off and open this door right now!" Ulrich let out a grunt as he pounded on the door with his fist.<p>

"Stern, what do you think you're doing walking around half naked?"

Ulrich turned to see Jeremy walking down the hall toward him with Aelita and Yumi flanking him. The girls were looking away from Ulrich with smirks on their faces.

Ulrich leaned against the door. "Ha ha. Very funny," he said sarcastically. "That's a pretty awful imitation of Delmas."

Jeremy frowned and looked down. "It wasn't Delmas. It was Jim," he muttered.

Aelita and Yumi laughed.

Jeremy turned back to Ulrich. "But what are you dressed like that for?"

"I've been stuck out here for fifteen minutes," Ulrich said, annoyed. "Odd refuses to open up."

"How come?" asked Aelita.

"Who knows? He won't even answer me," sulked Ulrich.

"Let me handle it," Jeremy said brightly. Ulrich moved out of his way as Jeremy approached the door. Jeremy beat on the door. "Odd, if you don't open up this door right now, you can forget about my portion of meatballs."

Ulrich gave a small smile. "Nice try, but it's not going to work. We might as well go get Eva to pick the lock."

The four of them could hear the door being unlocked. Ulrich was surprised, but Jeremy smiled.

"Hm, never fails," Jeremy said.

Ulrich hummed.

"After you, sir," Jeremy said to Ulrich.

The four of them went into the room. Odd was sitting on his bed, sulking about something.

"What's wrong with you, Odd?" asked Jeremy. "Is it because of your film?"

"Yes," replied Odd glumly. "I mean, no. it's not the first time that a film of mine will be screened for an audience of ignoramuses."

"Well then, what's wrong?" asked Aelita.

"My parents are in town and they're coming to see my film," Odd replied.

"That's really nice of them!" said Yumi.

"No, it stinks!" snapped Odd.

"Hmm?"

Ulrich sat down next to Odd. He cleared his throat. "You didn't have a fight with them?"

Odd got up and turned away from them, walking to his desk and window. "No, just the opposite."

"What is it then?" asked Ulrich, becoming more annoyed with his roommate's strange behavior.

"A weird relationship problem," explained Odd. "Teenagers are always having lots of conflicts with their parents. A generation gap. Except for one — me. My mother and father are always cool, supportive, and understanding. In fact, they're just perfect."

"Bummer!" said Ulrich. "I'll trade yours for mine anytime."

"If there was only something we could fight over so I could finally be a normal adolescent," said Odd.

"What a major drag," said Jeremy. "I really feel sorry for you, Odd."

"We can really feel your pain," said Yumi.

"That's right," said Aelita. "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

Odd hummed. "I knew I couldn't expect you to understand."

"You shouldn't say things like that."

They all jumped. No one heard Eva come into the room. As always, she moved like a ghost, a phantasm.

"There are adolescents that are not as lucky as you are, Odd," said Eva. "I know that I wanted parents like yours."

They all turned to Odd, wanting to know what his reaction was going to be. "I guess you're right, Eva."

"Hey, where's Kayla?" asked Yumi. "I thought she would be here by now."

"Making a coffee run for me," said Eva. "Jeremy and I were up late last night. If I don't get a caffeine fix, I don't think I can stay awake for the screening."

Kayla came in at that moment. "Here's your coffee, Eva," she said, handing her friend a traveler's mug. "Also, I met up with Jim outside. He says that Mr. Delmas is looking for you. Something about a placement test. I told him I would tell you when I saw you. You're to go to Mr. Delmas' office before the screening." Kayla looked and saw Ulrich and did a double take. Her cheeks turned bright red at the state of his undress. "Sorry, Ulrich!" she squealed as she darted out of the room.

This got a laugh out Jeremy, Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi, and a smirk out of Eva. The only one not to have a reaction was Odd.

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><p>"Cheer up. With a little luck, they'll hate your film," Ulrich said as they all walked outside.<p>

"Yeah. That would be too good to be true," said Odd.

A black car pulled up and two people got out of the car. The driver was a man with a muscular build, brown hair, and tattoos on both arms. He wore jeans and navy blue T-shirt. The passenger was a woman with purplish hair pulled up in a clip. She wore a red and pink dress with green leggings, a pink scarf around her neck and another slightly dark scarf around her head. She had multiple ear piercings. These were Odd's parents.

"How's it going, kid?" said Mr. Della Robbia.

"Couldn't be better," Odd said bitterly.

They came over to Odd, his mother kissing his forehead.

"Odd, it's really so great to see you," said Mr. Della Robbia.

"And you look wonderful. You still have that great appetite, don't you?" said Mrs. Della Robbia.

Odd let out a disinterested hum.

"And these must be your friends," said Mr. Della Robbia. "Odd talks a lot about you."

The others said their hellos.

"We're delighted to meet you at last," said Mrs. Della Robbia. She handed a parcel wrapped in red paper to Odd. "Here. This is a present. You can wear it for the screening, son."

"Okay, but later," Odd said shortly. "I'm really much too busy right now." He darted back inside.

His parents looked at each other.

"He must be uptight about the screening," said Mr. Della Robbia.

"That's understandable," said Mrs. Della Robbia. "After all, it is a premier."

Odd's parents walked to the principal's office.

"I better head over there, too," said Eva. "Delmas wants me. Save me a seat?"

"Sure thing, Eva," said Kayla.

Eva followed the Della Robbias to Mr. Delmas' office. Odd's parents were already speaking to the principal so Eva had to wait outside with Ms. Weber. It wasn't long before Ms. Weber got up and left the room. Eva jumped up and pressed her ear to the door.

"When he was barely two years old, he completely took apart his uncle's stereo," Mr. Della Robbia was saying.

"And I'm sure if he was four, he would have been able to put it back together," Mrs. Della Robbia was saying.

"Is that so?" asked Mr. Delmas. "Well, I happen to be an electronics buff myself, and, uh, well, I . . . As I was saying, your son has many fine qualities."

"You needn't tell us that. He's got qualities coming out of his ears," said Mrs. Della Robbia. "He eats well. He has a wonderful sense of humor — loves a good joke."

"Even when it's not funny," Mr. Della Robbia put in.

Mrs. Della Robbia went on. "He's a daredevil on a skateboard and he has an excellent ear for music, too."

"Undoubtably. No doubt about it," said Mr. Delmas.

"If he wanted to be, Odd could be at the head of his class. But he's just too modest for that."

Mr. Delmas hummed.

"You were saying, Mr. Delmas?" asked Mrs. Della Robbia.

"No, nothing," said Mr. Delmas.

"Oh, you've been very reassuring," said Mrs. Della Robbia. "You know better than I do that young people don't work hard enough at school."

Mr. Della Robbia stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "That's true. They have trouble concentrating. Well, we don't want to keep you any longer, Mr. Delmas. You must have a lot of work to do."

"Yes," said Mr. Delmas.

"Good-bye," said Mrs. Della Robbia, getting up and walking to the door.

"'Bye," said Mr. Della Robbia, following his wife.

Eva pulled her ear away from the door and rushed back to the chair she was supposed to be sitting on. Was this what having nice parents was about? Complementing on past achievements, sharing every little event in a child's life no matter how trivial, praising their talents? It had actually hurt Eva to listen to this. After a deep breath, Eva realized that this would change in time. She had a new family now and her brothers and sisters relied on her talents and Jeremy even admitted to being a little jealous of her for having them. And Jim would certainly be a better father than her biological one, even if Jim hadn't a clue what he was doing.

Odd's parents came out and gave her a glance, both smiling at her. Eva fully expected them to keep walking, but she was surprised when they stopped in front of her.

"What's your name?" asked Mrs. Della Robbia. "Odd's told us about his friends, but we've never put names to faces until now."

"Eva Maverick-Morales."

"So you're the one who was adopted by a teacher here," said Mr. Della Robbia. "We read about you in the paper." That last part was said cautiously.

"Yeah," Eva said.

"Odd tells us that you're quite the athlete," said Mr. Della Robbia with a cheery smile.

"And that you love poetry," Mrs. Della Robbia added. "He also said that you're a genius."

Eva stared at them in surprise for a moment. Then she shook her head with a smirk. "I'm no genius."

"He also said that you're very modest," Mrs. Della Robbia continued, her smile growing wider.

"No doubt that you get that from Odd," said Mr. Della Robbia. "He can be so modest."

Eva choked back a snort. Odd, modest? That was funny.

"Eva, are you out there?" called Mr. Delmas from his office.

"Well, my turn," said Eva, getting up.

"Will you be at the screening?" asked Mr. Della Robbia.

"Of course," Eva said with a nod.

Eva went into Mr. Delmas' office.

"Have a seat, Eva," he said, pointing to a chair.

Eva sat down with her hands in her lap.

"Now, we both know that your aptitude test showed that you are on a much higher grade level than the one you're at right now," said Mr. Delmas. "I think it's only fair that you take a placement exam to see if you truly belong in the ninth/tenth grade level. If not, we will make the necessary adjustments to your classes. I would like you to take the exam tomorrow under the supervision of Mrs. Hertz, if you don't mind."

"Tomorrow's fine, sir," said Eva. She just wanted to get it done and over with. It was a complete waste of time. She knew she wasn't going to do any better than the one she took to appease Jeremy.

After Eva left, Mr. Delmas played the video game where he had to get the head on the penguin. The screen flashed "GAME OVER" when Mr. Delmas heard his daughter yelling.

"Oh, what's the matter with this piece of junk?"

"Something wrong, Elisabeth?" asked Mr. Delmas.

"Yes. It stopped working," she said, holding out her mobile.

"It did? I paid a lot of money for that," said Mr. Delmas, taking the mobile from her.

"I told you to buy the higher priced model," said Sissi, putting her hand on her hip and tapping her foot angrily.

"Hmm. Now, now, Elisabeth. Let me have a look at it. I'll fix it for you in no time at all," said Mr. Delmas.

"You know how to do that?" asked Sissi, surprised.

"Why of course," said Mr. Delmas, taking out a screwdriver. "I have a gift for delicate work like this. When I was your age, my nickname was Mr. Circuit Breaker — Mr. Fix-It if you will."

Just as he said that, the screwdriver when through the mobile. Sissi groaned.

"Is this thing still under warranty?" asked Mr. Delmas. Sissi ran out of her father's office. "Sissi, hold on!"

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><p>Mr. Della Robbia and Mrs. Della Robbia walked into the auditorium.<p>

Jim greeted them at the door. "Good evening! There are some seats in the first row."

Mr. Della Robbia put his hand on Jim's shoulder. "We'll have a large popcorn, please."

"Oh, sorry, I don't have any. But I have half a box of Nibble Jacks lying around somewhere in my room."

"I was only kidding," said Mr. Della Robbia.

"Er, yeah, sure. So was I," said Jim.

"I think it's wonderful what you did for Eva," said Mrs. Della Robbia. "She seems like such a nice girl."

"Oh, well, thank you," said Jim.

Odd's parents went to take their seats in the first row.

Eva came in.

"Hello, Eva," said Jim. "Did Kayla tell you that Mr. Delmas wanted you?"

"Yes," replied Eva. "And I already talked to him."

"Oh. Okay," said Jim.

Eva could tell that he wanted to say something else, but didn't ask what it was. She saw that Kayla had saved her a seat in the front row.

Jeremy took out his laptop. "I'm putting it to sleep. Odd will kill me if the super scan goes off in the middle of his film."

"At any rate, there's not much chance of XANA launching an attack during the three minutes the film lasts," said Aelita.

A few rows back, Sissi, Herb, and Nicolas were waiting for the film to start. Sissi looked like she didn't want to be there.

"What's wrong, Sissi?" asked Herb. "You don't look so great."

"Odd makes fun of me in every single one of his films," said Sissi.

"Yeah!" Nicolas started laughing loudly.

Sissi frowned. "Keep laughing, Nicolas, and the whole school will know what happened to Mrs. Hertz's hamster."

"Okay, I'll stop," said Nicolas, his jolly mood instantly gone.

"But where is Odd?" asked Mrs. Della Robbia, standing up from her seat and looking around.

"I have no idea," said Mr. Della Robbia.

Ulrich stood up. "I better go see if I can find him," he said. Ulrich turned and started for the auditorium doors.

Kayla looked at Eva. Eva was sitting with her head cradled in her hands and her eyes closed. She was grimacing.

"What's wrong?" asked Kayla.

"I have a headache," Eva replied quietly.

"I thought the caffeine in the coffee would help," said Kayla.

Mr. Delmas came in and Mr. Chardin got up and started talking about Odd's film. "Good, now we can begin. Welcome, cinema lovers, to the special screening of _Mandibles and Purple Moa_, the latest creation from our own Odd Della Robbia. Please do forgive me for not having seen his work yet. I understand, however, that the film cleverly combines fiction with documentary. Truth, in short, but in the end, what is truth?"

Outside the auditorium, Ulrich pulled out his mobile. "Where could he have gone?" He dialed Odd's number and heard a mobile ringing. He looked up at the stairs. "What are you doing there?"

Odd was sitting on the stairs, chewing on his fingernails and holding his mobile to his ear. "Quiet or you'll give me away."

"This is ridiculous," said Ulrich. "Your parents are looking for you."

"I know. I'm already stressed out enough," said Odd.

"Oh, yeah? I got the answer to your problem," said Ulrich. "You're going to get off your butt and get to a seat inside! You got that?" he shouted into the mobile, causing Odd to drop his mobile.

Odd started to get up and looked over the railing. "You think so?"

"Mm-hmm," said Ulrich, jabbing his thumb to the auditorium.

Mr. Delmas held up his arm to Mr. Chardin and tapped his watch, telling the teacher that he was taking too much time.

"Right," said Mr. Chardin, seeing Mr. Delmas' impatient look. The door to the auditorium opened. "But why don't we all listen now to the film maker himself. Odd, you have the floor."

Odd and Ulrich stood by the doors of the auditorium, the former having a look of desperation on his face as the latter let the door close. Everyone had their eyes on him.

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><p><strong>So what do you think so far? Is my hard work paying off?<strong>


	3. XANA's Attack

**I apologize to all my fans for taking so long with this story. Please enjoy and review.**

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><p>On LYOKO, in the mountain sector, a tower located on an isolated plateau was activated by XANA.<p>

At school, the fuse box on the roof burst opened as a specter flew out and took control of the school's cellular antenna.

In the auditorium, Odd stood at the podium, wishing he was anywhere but there at the moment.

"Hello," he said in a small voice. "First of all I would like to . . . "

Odd cut himself off as a mobile began to ring. He looked down and saw Mr. Della Robbia take his mobile out and hold it up to Odd and pointed at it. It was his way of saying it was his mobile and he would be right back. Mr. Della Robbia got up and left the auditorium.

"We'll start the screening as soon as the director's father returns," said Mr. Delmas.

Outside in the hallway, Mr. Della Robbia answered his mobile. "Hello? Is this some sort of joke?"

The screen on his mobile went snowy and flashed XANA's mark as small electric charge came out of the mobile and went through his ear. The specter came out through his nose and he growled.

Back in the auditorium, Kayla was looking at Eva again. Her condition did not seem to have improved at all, but had gotten worse. Eva's face was almost as pale as it was on LYOKO.

"Eva, you better go to the nurse," said Kayla, touching her friend's leg. "You look like you are going to be really sick."

"And miss Odd's film?" asked Eva.

"I'm sure Odd will understand," said Kayla. "You look like you're going to pass out at any minute."

"What's wrong?" asked Yumi.

"She's not feeling well," Kayla answered.

"I'll be fine," said Eva.

Kayla and Yumi exchanged glances. They both could see that Eva was not okay.

Mr. Della Robbia returned.

"Who was it, darling?" asked Mrs. Della Robbia.

"Why don't you keep quiet and stop batting your eyes at that old goat!" snapped Mr. Della Robbia.

Mr. Delmas stood up, highly offended. "What? Let's not fly off the handle."

"You're the fly that needs to be handled," Mr. Della Robbia snapped at the principal. "I'm onto your game."

Mrs. Della Robbia was shocked. "But, have you lost your mind, darling?"

"I prefer losing my mind to having yours!" Mr. Della Robbia declared. He put his mobile to her ear. "Here, it's for you!"

The screen flashed XANA's mark again and there was another shock from Mr. Della Robbia's mobile, passing the mind controlling specter to Mrs. Della Robbia. She let out a cry as XANA took possession.

Mr. Delmas' mobile rang. "Yes, hello? What is it now?" he snapped.

Now everyone's mobile was going off.

Jim was roused from sleep at his place leaning on the projector. "Since when do you leave your phones on in a movie theater? Huh? Hey, clean the wax out of your ears!" Then he realized his mobile was ringing as well. He answered it. "Hello? Mommy, is that you?" Jim was shocked as well.

"If it's okay with everyone, we will begin," said Odd in a small voice.

"What does that little brat want?" asked Mrs. Della Robbia.

"Maybe he wants us to shut his trap for him," said Mr. Della Robbia.

"Wouldn't do him any harm!" Mrs. Della Robbia said.

"Something is going on and I don't like the looks of it," said Jeremy. He took out his laptop and checked the super scanner. The super scan beeped, showing that there was an activated tower. "It's just what I was afraid of — an activated tower. Looks like XANA is using cell phones. If you get a call, whatever you do, don't answer."

The LYOKO warriors stood up and casually made their way out of the auditorium. Ulrich looked at Odd and winked. Odd got the message and took a step back from the podium, planning on following the others. The others made it outside. Eva took two steps before letting out a yelp of pain.

"Eva, what's wrong?" asked Kayla.

The others stopped to see Eva doubled over clutching her head.

"It's my head," Eva said through gritted teeth. "You better go. I'm in no shape to go to LYOKO."

Kayla looked at the others. "I'll stay with her."

"Right," said Jeremy.

"Be careful," said Yumi.

Kayla nodded. She put Eva's arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's get you someplace safe."

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><p>Back in the auditorium, Odd was making his way to the door.<p>

"Look at that coward, slinking around like a little rat!" snarled Mr. Della Robbia.

"Are we going to let that little snot nose take off like that?" asked Mrs. Della Robbia, standing on the stage.

There was a chorus of no's.

Sissi put her head up.

Odd tried to hurry out the door, but Jim jumped in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Hey, it's not polite to sneak off like a thief in the night, you know," he said.

Mr. Della Robbia got up on a chair. "He needs to learn a little respect whether he likes it or not!"

There was a chorus of yeah's.

Sissi stood up and looked around.

Others were getting out of their chairs and a crowd was moving forward. Sissi hadn't been affected and she was looking around, confused at what was going on. She was moving with the crowd.

Students were getting out of their seats. Sissi looked around, wondering what was going on.

"There's no need to get worked up," said Odd. "I'll give each of you an autograph."

"He needs to be taught a lesson, doesn't he?" said Mrs. Della Robbia.

More yeah's.

Jim put up his hand. "I vote for voting against him." He looked down and saw that he had let go of Odd. They could hear Odd's receding footsteps as he ran. "Oh, waah."

"Don't stand there like a bunch of houseplants! Go on, hurry. After him!" screeched Mrs. Della Robbia.

* * *

><p>Odd ran the paths through the woods, trying to get to the manhole. He stopped when he saw Milly, Mrs. Hertz, and Tamiya holding gardening implements.<p>

"Well, are we looking for a little spanking?" asked Mrs. Hertz.

Milly cried, "There he is!"

"This time he's not going to get away," said Tamiya.

Odd turned and saw the crowd of angry students and teachers rushing toward him with various items they picked up.

"Keep up the pace!" Mrs. Della Robbia screamed, holding a broom over her head. "We're going to get him this time!"

"What's wrong with everyone?" asked Odd. "Is it something they ate?" He turned and started back for the school.

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><p>Meanwhile, Yumi, Jeremy, Aelita, and Ulrich climbed down the ladder to the sewers and grabbed their skateboards and scooters. They went as fast as they could through the sewer to get to the factory.<p>

* * *

><p>Odd ran through the back doors of the gymnasium. Rosa the lunch lady and Mr. Fumet. Rosa was holding a large metal cooking spoon threateningly and Mr. Fumet held an umbrella.<p>

"Odd, my boy, how would you like a loving spoonful?" the possessed cafeteria worker asked.

Odd slowly back against the door. "Thanks, Rosa, but I'm not very hungry." He bolted back outside.

* * *

><p>At the factory, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita waited in the open elevator while Jeremy sat at the computer.<p>

"What's he doing? Where is he?" asked Jeremy.

"I thought he was behind us," said Ulrich. "He must have been held up by his fan club."

"I'll check out what's happening by scanning the locations of their cell phones." After pressing a few keys and running a search, Jeremy spoke up, "I found him."

"Where is he?" asked Yumi.

"Take a guess," replied Jeremy.

* * *

><p>Odd was sitting in the lunch room under a table panting heavily. He sniffed the air. He got up and walked over to the counter and lifted the lid of a large pot. He stuck in his finger and licked it off. "Mmm, meatballs! Come to think of it, I am hungry. Mmm!"<p>

* * *

><p>"Looks pretty bad for him," said Jeremy. "He's totally surrounded!"<p>

"We have to rescue him," said Ulrich.

"But how?" asked Aelita. "The whole school is out to get him."

"It would be faster if we deactivated the tower," said Yumi.

"That's what we gotta do," said Jeremy. "Go on. Head for the scanner room. You're going in right now. Let's hope Odd can play for time."

* * *

><p>Odd returned to his hiding place under the table with the pot of meatballs and a ladle. "Gravy. There isn't enough gravy!" he sulked.<p>

* * *

><p>In the scanner room, Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich were prepared to go to LYOKO. The doors to the scanners closed.<p>

"Scanner Aelita," said Jeremy. "Scanner Yumi. Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization."

The three of them appeared in the mountain sector on a narrow path.

"The tower in front of you at the end of the path," said Jeremy.

The three of them ran down the path and stopped. There was no pathway leading to the floating plateau.

"Any suggestions, Einstein, like a ladder, maybe?" asked Ulrich. "Without vehicles, forget about it. You could have virtualized us at the summit." Ulrich put one hand on his hip.

"Sorry, but there's a bug," said Jeremy. "I couldn't do any better." He typed and an error symbol flashed on his screen. "Ugh! And now I can't bring up any of your vehicles. XANA threw a virus into the program. All I can get you is the over-wing."

"Send it anyway," said Ulrich. "It'll have to do."

"Coming up," said Jeremy.

A second later the over-wing appeared to Yumi's right. She hopped on and turned to Ulrich. "Wanna keep me company?" she asked.

Ulrich hopped on with her.

Aelita waved her hand over her star bracelet and her wings appeared. After checking to see that both appeared she turned to the others. "Okay, let's go!" she said, leaping into the air.

They came around the side of the plateau and were attacked by two flying mantas. Ulrich deflected a few shots with his saber. One shot hit the over-wing and Ulrich fell off.

"Ulrich!" yelled Yumi, doubling back to try to catch him.

The mantas circled around and shot the over-wing again, devirtualizing it. Now Yumi was falling.

Aelita gasped.

Ulrich drove his saber into the rock face. After sliding several more feet, he came to a stop. He reached out his hand to catch Yumi.

"Just in time," said Yumi. "Thanks, Ulrich."

"Energy field!" cried Aelita, firing at one manta. The intended manta dodged and it hit the other.

* * *

><p>Back at school, Nicolas kicked open the door to the cafeteria with Herb behind him. Nicolas was holding a dust pan and Herb had a push broom.<p>

"He's gotta be in her somewhere," said Herb.

Odd straightened up, the ladle of food at his lips.

"Don't worry," said Nicolas. "Watch. I'm going to sweep him away."

"Yeah. He'll be biting the dust when we get through with him," said Herb.

Odd swallowed and made a small noise.

"Hey, Nicolas," said Herb, pointing with his push broom to the table Odd was hiding under.

Nicolas bent down. "Thought you could hide from us? Huh?" when he saw no one was there.

"Lunch time!" chimed Odd, the pot of meatballs and gravy on the table and a stack of saucers in his hands. Odd began throwing them at Nicolas, who blocked them with his dust pan.

"You can't touch me," said Nicolas. "I'm invulnerable thanks to my shield. Go on. Keep trying."

Odd put the pot in front of him. Nicolas wagged his finger at him and grinned. "Nn-nn-nn." He held the dust pan in front of his face. Odd slid the pot as hard as he could across the table, slamming in it into Nicolas' dust pan and face, knocking him out.

"That is really awful wasting perfectly good food on a vegetable like him," said Odd.

"Ha-ha! Alone at last!" said Herb from behind.

There was a dull clang as a frying pan made contact with Herb's skull. He fell to the floor senseless.

"Incredible, huh?" said Odd.

Sissi was still holding the frying pan. "What's happening?" she asked. "It looks like everyone at school's gone crazy."

"It's because of the cell phones," said Odd. "How come you haven't gong bananas, too?"

"Because my phone's a broken down piece of junk," replied Sissi, dropping the frying pan.

The door at the other end of the cafeteria opened.

"Kayla!" said Odd in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the factory with the others."

Kayla shook her head. Her blond hair was in disarray and she looked like she had been running a long ways.

"Something happened to Eva," she said. "She couldn't go with the others so I stayed behind to help her."

"What's wrong with her?" asked Odd.

"She has this massive headache," said Kayla. "For it to cripple Eva, it has to hurt."

"Where is she now?" asked Odd.

"The only place I could think of that she would be safe," replied Kayla. "With the whole school out of their minds, I thought it would be best to take her somewhere off campus."

"The Hermitage?" Odd asked in a low voice.

Kayla nodded. "I had to carry her most of the way. We have to hurry."

Odd nodded. "You head for the factory," he said.

"What about you?" asked Kayla.

Then they heard Jim's voice. "The one place we haven't checked top to bottom is the lunchroom."

"Let's split!" said Sissi.

The three of them ducked out the back door and pressed themselves against the side of the building.

"There he is!" snarled Mrs. Hertz.

Everyone turned to them, Jim coming back out of the lunchroom.

"What is my daughter doing with that little scoundrel?" asked Mr. Delmas.

"He must have forced her to be on his side," said Mrs. Della Robbia.

"Children become monsters when they're not instilled with a sense of discipline," said Mr. Della Robbia.

"Run!" cried Kayla.

* * *

><p>Back on LYOKO, Ulrich and Yumi were still hanging on for dear life. The manta was coming back for another round.<p>

"Jeremy, what are you waiting for?" cried Yumi. "Reprogram the over-wing!"

"It's not working," said Jeremy. "I'll try the overboard." Another warning light flashed on his screen. "Augh! I've got a problem."

"You're not the only one. Hurry up!" said Yumi.

The manta fired at Ulrich, two shots just barely missing him. Yumi swung her way of the manta's path as it tried to knock her down. The manta came back around. Yumi took out her fan and deflected a shot.

Aelita came around, an energy field forming in her hands. She tumbled in mid-air and fired, hitting the manta.

"Nice one, Aelita!" said Yumi.

Ulrich strained, his fingers slipping. "I can't hold on any longer!"

His grip slipped and the two of them fell screaming toward the digital sea. Aelita gasped and put two fingers to her temple and held out her other hand, the palm emitting pink light. A small plateau and mountain formed beneath Yumi and Ulrich and they landed harmlessly on its surface.

"Yes!" said Aelita, pumping her fists.


	4. Dizzy Heights

Odd, Kayla, and Sissi ran through the woods, coming to the end of the school property. The toolshed was the only place they could think to hide. Odd opened the door and the three of them ran inside, Odd slamming the door behind them.

"Phew!" said Odd. "Well here at least we might have a little peace."

"Peace, huh?" said a voice from the shadows. Mr. Rouiller, the gardener, stepped out of the shadows holding a metal rake. "Eternal peace is what you'll get!"

Sissi let out a small cry.

Mr. Rouiller yelled and charged at them.

The three students ran out of the toolshed screaming with Mr. Rouiller right behind them.

* * *

><p>Aelita landed on the small floating mountain she made for Yumi and Ulrich. "You okay?" she asked.<p>

"Yeah," said Yumi. "Thanks, Aelita."

Ulrich walked to the edge and looked down. There was nothing except the path they started out on and it was too far to jump. Ulrich's vision went double and he stepped back. "Whoa! This just is great. Jeremy, what's happening with Odd's board?"

"It's loading, but it'll take a little time," said Jeremy.

Yumi looked at the plateau. "We can try to climb up," she suggested.

"The rock face is much too smooth," said Ulrich, shifting uncomfortably. "We'd never make it."

"Still scared of heights, huh?" asked Yumi. She yelped in surprise as a laser blast missed both her and Ulrich by inches.

On the plateau above was a crab. The three of them ducked behind the mountain for cover.

* * *

><p>Odd, Sissi, and Kayla were running through the woods again. They met up with the crowd of XANAfied students, teachers, and parents. They all waved whatever weapons they had menacingly. The three of them took a step back and felt a metal rake poking them in the back. It was Kayla who made the first move. She whirled around and brought her foot down on the rake, pinning it to the ground. Mr. Rouiller grinned viciously and yanked the rake up, knocking Kayla off balance. Kayla tumbled back and hopped back on her feet.<p>

"I do not think it is a very good idea to frighten these poor children with your gardening tools, sir," said Mrs. Della Robbia.

"Well, that's a pity," said Mr. Rouiller.

Mrs. Della Robbia went on. "Rest assured, we're not the type of parents who would ever shirk their responsibilities. We promised you a fitting punishment and you're going to get it."

Mrs. Della Robbia, Mr. Delmas, and Jim stepped up to Odd, Sissi, and Kayla.

"I promise never to complain about not having conflicts with my parents ever again," said Odd.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita were still behind the mountain. Now two crabs were firing at them from above.<p>

"Looks like shellfish are back in season," said Ulrich.

"Yeah, welcoming us with open claws," added Yumi.

Aelita activated her wings. "Okay. I'm on it." She took off and flew up to where the crabs were. She fired and energy field, but the crab sidestepped it and fired at Aelita. She dodged out of the way.

Yumi took out one fan. "I'm going to try something," she said. She ran to the edge of their landmass and jumped, flipping in the air and throwing her fan.

"Yumi!" Ulrich yelled, afraid of what she was doing.

Yumi's fan took off on of the crab's legs. The crab lost its balance and tumbled off the plateau, plunging for the digital sea. Yumi landed on the path. She looked over the side to see if the crab had fallen in yet. Just as she did, the crab fired one more shot and it hit her in the shoulder.

"Yumi, you just lost forty life points, you hear me?" Jeremy cried.

"Yeah, and I can feel it, too," said Yumi. "I'll try my best not to take another hit."

Just as she said that she was shot in the chest and was devirtualized. A kankerlot came walking down the path.

Yumi appeared in scanners sitting on the floor. "Oh, what an idiot I am!"

Now Ulrich was pinned on both sides. The crab was firing from above and the kankerlot was firing from below. He had to watch from both sides or he would be hit.

Aelita was doing the best she could. She was trying to take down the crab. "Energy field!" She fired and she missed. "I don't believe this!"

"Jeremy, we're not getting anywhere here," said Ulrich.

"I'm almost there," said Jeremy. A loading window popped up on screen. "Yes! Ulrich, overboard in two or three seconds."

The overboard materialized at the other side of the small landmass, out in the open of the crab and kankerlot.

"It's about time," said Ulrich. He tried to time it just right so he wouldn't get hit. "Here I go." He leaped on the overboard and tried to keep his balance as it moved. He managed to get it up to where the crab was and to the side of the rock face where neither could hit him. "Whoa, how do Odd and Eva manage to pilot these things?"

Aelita flew over and shrugged. "They're not afraid of falling," she answered.

* * *

><p>"I'm afraid!" cried Odd. Odd, Sissi, and Kayla were standing of the edge of the roof of the classrooms. "Oh, no, anything but this!"<p>

"Trust us, kid," said Mr. Della Robbia. "It's for your own good."

"Just a little step forward and you won't be afraid anymore!" snarled Mrs. Della Robbia.

"You'll pay for once in your life!" said Jim.

"Don't we get a last request?" asked Odd, trying to buy time.

Mr. Delmas thought for a second, bouncing the red ball of his ball-catching game. "It's true," he said. "They do have the right to that."

Odd, Sissi, and Kayla turned around.

"I would like one last club sandwich with organic mayo," said Odd.

Sissi made a small sound of confusion.

Kayla caught on to what Odd was doing. "And Rosa, I would really like to have a dozen of those cookies you made last week for dessert."

They all thought for a moment. "Okay, one club sandwich, but you can forget the organic mayo," said Rosa. "As for the cookies, I lied — they were store-bought."

Now Sissi had her request. "And I would like a purple parachute to go with my top," she said in a whiny voice.

Mr. Della Robbia looked at them. "Hm. Okay, okay. Time out!" he said, making the sign with his hands. "Last requests are going to have to wait until later."

Sissi whimpered.

* * *

><p>Back on LYOKO, Aelita and Ulrich were trying to finish off the last crab. Ulrich flew around keeping the crab's attention while Aelita came up behind it. She made and energy field and threw it, but the crab turned around and it missed. She flew away from it and it shot at her. Aelita made an energy field with both hands and swooped down to take out the crab. The crab fired and Aelita was hit, her wings disappearing and she hit the ground hard.<p>

"Aelita!" Ulrich saw she had been hit and turned the board around. With a saber in hand, he raced to help Aelita.

The crab stalked up to her. Aelita shook her head clear and looked up to see it. The crab raised on leg and was prepared to strike.

Ulrich came to the rescue. The crab turned around just as Ulrich threw his saber at it. The crab fired and Ulrich was devirtualized, but not before his saber struck home.

"Hurry up, Aelita!" yelled Jeremy. "The coast is clear!"

* * *

><p>"I think these children could use a little parental guidance," said Mrs. Della Robbia.<p>

"Absolutely," agreed Mr. Delmas.

Mr. Delmas, Mrs. Della Robbia, and Jim walked out to push the three over the edge.

* * *

><p>Aelita rushed into the tower and stood in the middle. She floated up to the top, flipping backwards just as she reached the platform. The interface screen appeared and she placed her hand on the screen.<p>

Aelita.

Code. . .

* * *

><p>"All right," said Mr. Della Robbia. "Let's get this over with." He gave a double thumbs-down.<p>

* * *

><p>. . .LYOKO.<p>

* * *

><p>At school, everyone came to their senses.<p>

"Hmm? What?" asked Mr. Della Robbia. "What are we doing up here?"

* * *

><p>"Tower deactivated," Aelita announced.<p>

* * *

><p>Mrs. Della Robbia let out a gasp of horror and the three students standing on the edge were pulled back. "You know better than to get so close to the edge, don't you?" Mrs. Della Robbia asked her son.<p>

"Oh, yeah?" said Odd. "I wonder who could have pushed me to the edge?"

"Huh?" Mrs. Della Robbia frowned.

* * *

><p>Back in the supercomputer room, Jeremy was flanked by Ulrich and Yumi. "Uh, return to the past now!" he said quickly pressing the enter key on his keyboard.<p>

A return to the past swallowed up everything in a white light.

* * *

><p>Back in the auditorium, Odd was showing his film.<p>

"And here we have a splendid specimen of a dung beetle," he said as a clip of Jim trying to push a soccer ball out a rut was shown.

Jim, who was sleeping at the projector, was roused by the students' laughter and started laughing himself.

"And now we have a magnificent field grasshopper." The clip was of Mr. Delmas playing his ball-catching game and hitting himself in the leg. He hopped around on one foot.

Mr. Delmas frowned, not happy that he was being made fun of.

The clip changed to that of someone's bedroom, the purple comforter pulled around its occupant.

"Oh, he's saving the worst for last!" groaned Sissi, recognizing her room.

"But what could this strange creature be? A spring roll? No, no. it's an enormous larva."

Sissi winced as everyone laughed.

The clip now revealed Sissi getting out of bed.

"A caterpillar metamorphosing into a lovely butterfly," finished Odd's narrative.

Sissi stared at him.

Odd winked at her.

Sissi laughed nervously, not certain how to take this.


	5. Strange Behavior

After the screening, the seven LYOKO warriors met up outside.

"This was one insane day," said Kayla.

"How are you feeling, Eva?" asked Yumi.

"Since the return to the past, everything's fine," answered Eva. "My head hasn't even had a twinge of pain."

"Laughter is the best medicine," said Odd with a grin. "And I know how to administer it."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help," said Eva, disappointment in her voice.

"It's okay," said Aelita. "Maybe it was part of XANA's attack."

"But it was hurting before," said Eva.

"It may be my fault," said Jeremy. "All those tests we ran last night, it was bound to have some sort of effect on you."

"A little sleep and it'll probably never happen again," said Ulrich.

Odd turned to Kayla. "And you say that you carried her to the Hermitage?"

Kayla nodded. She walked over to Eva and easily picked her up and carried her. "If you know how to lift, it's easy. I've been in dance and ballet for years. I know how to lift someone who weighs more than I do."

"And you got to admit, that was pretty cool what you did with Mr. Rouiller," Odd praised.

"It backfired," said Kayla, rubbing the back of her head in an embarrassed manner.

"But at least you tried, sunshine," Odd told her.

Kayla blushed. "Thank you."

"I'm going to say good-bye to my parents," said Odd.

"I better get home," said Yumi.

"Same here," said Kayla with a nod.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Eva.

* * *

><p>Eva was as quiet as ever at supper. She ate only about a fourth of her meal.<p>

"Eva, are you all right?" asked Aelita. "You're not sick, are you?"

Eva did not answer right away. Instead, she blinked twice and looked up blankly. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Ulrich. "You've said less today than you usually do."

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Eva. "I have that placement test tomorrow. I really don't want to take it."

"Then don't," said Odd.

"If I don't, I'm going to get badgered nonstop for it," said Eva. "Mrs. Hertz is giving it to me tomorrow. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

Eva got up and walked away, leaving her tray for Odd.

"Someone should keep an eye on her," said Jeremy.

They turned to Aelita.

"Okay, I'll check in on her tonight," Aelita said.

* * *

><p>After lights out, Aelita got out of bed and walked to Eva's room. She knocked lightly on the door. "Eva, are you awake yet?" There was no answer. Aelita found the door unlocked and she went inside. Eva was sitting at her desk, scribbling something in a notebook. "Eva?"<p>

Eva turned around. She had that same blank look on her face. "Aelita."

"What are you doing still working?" asked Aelita. "You should be sleeping. I know you don't sleep so much, but you should try. It'll make your headaches stay away."

"Headaches. Right."

Eva got up and Aelita guided her over to her bed. Eva was already changed and Aelita tucked her in.

"Try to sleep?" Aelita gently begged.

"Try," replied Eva. She rolled over and was out like a light.

Aelita turned off the desk lamp and quietly shut the door. She went back to bed thinking that Eva was acting a lot stranger than usual. Aelita didn't look to see what Eva was writing. Perhaps it was her diary. If so, Aelita didn't want to invade Eva's privacy.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Eva went to Mrs. Hertz's room to take her placement test.<p>

"You have forty-five minutes," said Mrs. Hertz. "Don't feel pressured. This is only to see where your grade level is truly at."

Eva started on her test. Twenty minutes later, she got up and turned it in to Mrs. Hertz.

"Finished already?" she asked, looking over the test.

"Yes," replied Eva.

With that, Eva walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Hertz was correcting Eva's test.<p>

"This can't be right," she muttered. She shook her head. "This can't be right!"

Jim poked his head in the door. "Hello, Suzanne. I just came by to see how Eva did on her placement test."

Mrs. Hertz shook her head again. "This can't be right," she said again.

"Is something wrong?" Jim came into the classroom and walked over to Mrs. Hertz.

Mrs. Hertz looked up at him. "I have seen many students come and go through my class, but I have never seen this."

"What is it?" asked Jim, looking at the placement test.

"There is not one error on this test," said Mrs. Hertz. "I knew Eva was strong at history and language, but this shows that her math and her science skills are beyond that of the seniors here."

"You don't think she cheated, do you?" asked Jim.

Mrs. Hertz sighed. "I don't know. In any case, I have to show this to Mr. Delmas."

* * *

><p>Eva did not go to lunch. The others were worried.<p>

"Do you think that she flunked her test and she's just sulking?" asked Ulrich.

"No way," said Kayla. "It's a placement test and Eva's smart. I seriously doubt that she could have flunked."

"Maybe she did." They all turned to Aelita. "I checked on her in the middle of the night. She was writing something in a notebook. I didn't see what it was. She was acting really weird. I think she was stressed out."

Kayla was concerned. Eva stressed out was not a good thing. She could be moody and violent. That wasn't so much different from her regular personality, but she could become a lot worse.

"I should check on her," said Kayla, getting up.

"Can I have your gelatin?" asked Odd.

Kayla said nothing and hurried to the dorms. She found Eva in her room, bent over her notebook and writing very rapidly.

"Eva?"

Eva looked over at Kayla before turning back to what she was writing.

"Eva, are you okay?" asked Kayla.

"I'm fine," answered Eva, not looking up.

Kayla peered over Eva's shoulder to see what she was writing. She was writing math equations, though Kayla didn't know what they were for.

"What's that for?" asked Kayla.

"I don't know," said Eva. "I saw it somewhere and I keep thinking about it. It's a puzzle and I want to solve it."

"Okay," said Kayla. "If you need my help, just ask."

"Right," said Eva.

Kayla left the room. A math equation? That was nothing Kayla ever saw before. And if Kayla never saw it, where did Eva see it?

* * *

><p><strong>So many questions, not enough answers. If you have a prediction, send it to me. You may be right.<strong>


End file.
